I love my big plastic tree. I traded a knitting lesson for it, and it's huge, pre-lit and actually really pretty. I just don't have the interest in dragging a big hunk of pine into the house, worrying about watering it, cleaning up after it, and then having to get rid of it. Plus, I don't know of any organic tree farms in my area and I've read reports from areas where tree farms are that the ground water is toxic all around.

Anyway, I also generally like Christmas, I just get irritated at the over consumption of it all and the mad dashes to get tons of stuff. Cookies, my tree, and nog are all fantastic, though, as is buying and making gifts for my kiddo (I try to do a mix of the two.) Crowds and stress...not so much fun.

I haven't had a real tree since I was a really young. My parents switched to fake when I was 9 or so? And then my inlaws gave us a few random fakes over the years and we're always like, eh, it's free. You guys are kind of making me want to get a real one this year.

My tree is fake purely because I am unbelievably allergic to real ones (one year after I finished college I plucked up the courage to tell my parents I wouldn't be home for Christmas, and their reaction was "Hurrah! We can have a real tree again!").

(edited for grammar)

_________________Everyone turns into Boo Radley, if they live long enough ~ seitanicversesThere are as many ways to live as there are humans in the world ~ SchwaGrrrl

I always had a fake tree growing up, but longed for a real one as I got older. Over the past 3 or so years I've gone and cut one down from a farm, which is awesome - but definitely has its ups and downs!

Like the year it snowed the day before, which was great until we realized it meant about 6 inches of mud in the tree farm. And we brought the dog. We had mud in the car until August.

Then the next year, it was gigantic spiders in the house.

Not to mention the mounds of pine needles when we left it up too long. Like even pine needles in our underwear (I guess from the couch but damn those things manage to get everywhere).

I sort of miss the ease of a fake tree, but can't bring myself to go back to it. Yesterday I was wrestling with some fake pine garland that half the lights I had twisted on it were broken. Still got pine needles everywhere, just fake, and I couldn't even get the things untangled. So it is damned if u do and damned if u don't.

Someone posted their tradition in another thread of hiking in the forest to find branches and just decorating those. I really like that idea. I'm just not sure where I could go to randomly pick up branches in my very populated semi-urban area.

_________________I'm not asking for utopian dreams...just a little peace in this world. That's a logical thing. - Deee-Lite

My husband is morally opposed to fake trees. Last year we didn't have one at all but the idea of a good, fake, prelit one is getting more and more appealing to me. I am usually pretty adament that Christmas stuff not come out until Dec 1 but this year I am stretching the rules since I pretty much failed at Christmas last year.

_________________Anyone for some German Shepherd Pie? - daisychainWell! Fruit is stupid! These onions taste nothing like fruit! - allularpunkDwarf-tossing for God: A Story of Hope - Invictus

This November/December I am working Baby's First Retail Job. It's not too bad, yet - the mall outside is bedazzled with wreaths and oversized ornament bauble things and there's a glitzy Santa's Workshop thing, but the store where I'm working nights isn't unbearable, at least not yet. Minimal decorations and all...

But the music is driving me up the wall.

They keep playing their Christmas CD ALL NIGHT. The same 10-15 ~seasonal~ pop songs. For the love of all that is good and holy - I AM HACKING OPEN BOXES AND PUTTING THINGS ON SHELVES. I AM NOT A CUSTOMER. I AM NOT CHRISTMASSY. JUST TURN ON THE BLEEDING RADIO.

I love my big plastic tree. I traded a knitting lesson for it, and it's huge, pre-lit and actually really pretty. I just don't have the interest in dragging a big hunk of pine into the house, worrying about watering it, cleaning up after it, and then having to get rid of it. Plus, I don't know of any organic tree farms in my area and I've read reports from areas where tree farms are that the ground water is toxic all around.

Yes, we got ours off Craigslist for $20. So many people get new models and its nice to save some plastic from the landfill. Tip on CL, if the price is high go anyway, once you're in their house, they generally just want you to take the old one so they can set up the nice new one they already bought, and they get really flexible on price.

Our cats generally try and attack it from every angle and it gives them so much amusement, I am almost tempted to put it up in their room year round.

_________________My oven is bigger on the inside, and it produces lots of wibbly wobbly, cake wakey... stuff. - The PoopieB.

Yep, totally agree that it's less special if the decorations are up for two months! We went to this upscale outdoor mall to check out a new vegetarian restaurant on Nov 2 and there were wreaths, ribbons, lights, xmas trees, and other decorations lining the streets. November 2nd!! I love decorations...but only in December!

The legend in my family:my father and mother decided to drive out to the country and cut down trees for Christmas when they got married.My uncle, my father's half brother, met his wife right at about that time, and it was like a Christmasy double date. My father with the saw, taking pictures, driving out to the country.My uncle's tree, about three days after he brought it into his house, began spouting little baby praying mantises, which for me would have been the Best Christmas Ever, but for my uncle/aunt (and the mantises, ultimately) it was more of a nightmare. apparently the eggs decided it was spring inside the nice warm house.i don't think they ever got a real tree again.

We don't put up a tree but we also don't stay for Christmas. My husband and I've pretty much agreed that we'd spend every Christmas in CA for at least a while.

Home Depot did have the Peanuts tree which I offered to buy for my husband but I think it'd turn into a cat toy. My parents switched to fake trees when I was young, I didn't care either way. My mom really just cares about the decorations.

_________________You are all a disgrace to vegans. Go f*ck yourselves, especially linanil.

We have branches we collect in the woods, instead of a tree. We put them up a few days before Christmas, and burn them the day after Boxing Day. That's long enough for me. We do have The Advent Moose (advent calendar) all through December, but otherwise nothing except for the week of Christmas. I like Christmas but it shouldn't occupy 1/12-1/6 of the year!

My uncle's tree, about three days after he brought it into his house, began spouting little baby praying mantises, which for me would have been the Best Christmas Ever, but for my uncle/aunt (and the mantises, ultimately) it was more of a nightmare. apparently the eggs decided it was spring inside the nice warm house.i don't think they ever got a real tree again.

I can't decide if this would traumatize me or be super adorable. Either way. I'm feeling less guilty about depriving my kids of real tree smell.

I used to like doing Christmasy stuff, but now I feel pretty burnt out and annoyed by Christmas by the time December rolls around and I just can't wait for it to all be over already.

_________________"That is some very responsible yolo-ing." - allularpunk"We are simple people, my husband is a mechanic with dirty hands, my daughter is a blue haired lesbian who's favorite activity is making people uncomfortable." - torque